NaNoWriMo Embraces AI in Writing

And Instagram unveils another new feature.

September 05, 2024

Hey honeys and hustlers,

I want to give a huge thanks to everyone who came to our in-person film screening at American Underground last week! It was a beautiful night filled with 40+ folks, good food, a little trivia, and a champagne toast. The virtual screening will be taking place two weeks from today Thursday, September 19th at 7PM. Add it to your calendar here. I can’t wait to see you guys (virtually) there!

Should you write your next book, blog, or film using AI?

NaNoWriMo recently released their stance on using AI during their widely popular November writing sprint. They said it is “classist and ableist” not to support the use of AI. Ummm. Read the room, please. I have yet to hear any people with disabilities proclaim that AI has been a game changer for them. In fact, many underrepresented folks have been warning us to be more conscious of using and implementing AI. We all know that AI will be a part of the tech space in the present and future, so this isn’t about being naive about its presence. This is about taking the human element out of creativity and community building, which are the foundations of both.

“A writer is one to whom writing does not come easy.”

From my understanding, NaNoWriMo was created in the spirit of communal accountability. Having others to encourage you along your writing journey, keep you accountable for your daily writing goal, and help you through the tough moments of writer’s/creator’s block. The goal was never to be the fastest person to reach 5,000 words each day or to see who could write the most words each day (without edits). Writing genuinely good and meaningful things doesn’t get easier because you have a “good” idea or a “good” writing prompt.

Have I written social posts with AI? Yes. Am I still doing that? No. Why? Because it was absolutely terrible, devoid of personality, and lacked any distinguishable first-person perspective that reflected my lived experience. I still use AI to brainstorm ideas, but not to write for me. If AI can write your content for you, then that content wasn't worth writing in the first place. You can do better. Find the ideas you have that are worth writing about and lean on your community to hold you accountable.

I think the creators of NaNoWriMo forgot that community accountability was their greatest asset, not speed or arbitrary writing goals. This is a textbook example of what happens when you forget your “why.”

“A good copywriter with a pencil can do better for a brand than AI. Now, I didn't say do more or faster. I said, "better." And if you struggle with the differences between "more," "faster," and "better," you'll never use AI well anyway.”

TL:DR: the execution of good storytelling in any format is worth more than a good idea and can only come from human experience. I’m not anti-AI, but I do wish we were more responsible and intentional with how AI is being integrated into our daily lives and creative processes. I’d love to hear your perspective on this.

In Readworthy News

// Instagram now allows comments on stories. Why? I have no idea. It’s not like we don’t have infinite ways of contacting each other on the app already. They’ve added notes to posts, and now this. Maybe they know something I don’t about how people want to engage with content. (read = I’m never using this feature. If I respond to your IG story that’s between us.)

// Natasha Rothwell has two exciting shows coming. The Insecure star will not only be the leading lady in her own original show on Hulu which premieres this month, but she will also be the leading character in the TV adaptation of the viral TikTok series “Who TF Did I Marry?” I think this sets a good precedent for transitioning short-form serial content to evergreen long-form content. I’m also just happy to see her career thrive. You know what that’s called? Growth.

// Fact-checked beer. I love seeing local partnerships come to life, especially the one between Durham-based brewery, Ponysaurus, and North Carolina media outlet, Assembly. They’ve come together to create a kolsch called Tell The Truth. In many ways, creators are just media companies with small or solo teams. What are some interesting partnerships you could generate to grow your reach?

// You can now get paid on Dribbble. It looks like the new CEO of the platform is being really intentional about making the platform a space where designers and illustrators want to spend more time and grow their careers again. This video shares the news of what the new payment system will entail.

Please Hustle Responsibly,

🤙🏾✨

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